Samsung Galaxy A53 5G review

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Introduction

Samsung has been maintaining a particularly strong Galaxy A series of devices for some time now. It has been iterating and improving its value proposition on these phones, and the new 2022 refresh is no different. You can read all about the new Galaxy A73 5G, A53 5G and A33 5G here to see exactly what we mean.

The new Galaxy A53 5G is now here for review. Since the 5X series has arguably been one of the better-geared devices in the series, it is also the toughest one to upgrade. In comparison, this year's Galaxy A33 5G is a much lower hanging fruit seeing how its predecessor came with an LCD.

Changes going from the A52s 5G to the A53 5G are a lot more subtle. Simply put, not much has changed, certainly not enough to entice current owners of a recent Galaxy A5X series phone, but there are still some noteworthy changes here and there.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G specs at a glance:

• Body: 159.6x74.8x8.1mm, 189g; plastic body, glass front; IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins).
• Display: 6.50" Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 800 nits (HBM), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 405ppi.
• Chipset: Exynos 1280 (5 nm): Octa-core (2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G68.
• Memory: 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 12, One UI 4.1.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.7X", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123-degree, 1.12µm; Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 5 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 25W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); Virtual proximity sensing.

First up - the straight-up positive change - the A53 5G has a larger 5,000mAh battery than its predecessor. There is also a brand new chipset made by Samsung - the Exynos 1280. A modern 5nm part, still not officially present or detailed on Samsung's semiconductor website, but very much already in the wild and looking intriguing with a 2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 CPU configuration, a Mali-G68 GPU and arguably even more versatile 5G setup than the Snapdragon 778G 5G inside the A52s 5G.

On the flip side, there are some notable downgrades in the A53 5G as well. For one, it lacks the 3.5mm audio jack of its predecessor. It is also missing Wi-Fi 6 support. Though, it does offer slightly newer Bluetooth 5.1.

Other than this, the A53 5G is pretty much identical both in terms of specs and design to its predecessor. Even though, technically, it has shrunk down some in physical size, all the while keeping its display diagonal and weight unchanged. So, you are essentially getting smaller display bezels and a larger battery for "free". Not counting the 3.5mm jack, that is.

To sum up, the new Galaxy A53 5G seems to be a slightly "tweaked" variant of what Samsung already knows works and sells well. The slightly bigger battery is always nice to see, but what is going to either make or break the A53 5G is definitely the new Exynos 1280 chipset. To be perfectly frank, it just needs to be as good and not even better than the Snapdragon 778G 5G it is replacing. That would mean another wave of happy customers since every other feature of the A53 5G has been carried over from the previous model, and it's still a fantastic package.

Unboxing

Let's kick things off with a quick unboxing. The unboxing itself can't take much time since the accessory package in many phones has been getting lighter and lighter.

The A53 5G has a white USB Type-C to Type-C cable in its box, a SIM ejector tool and some leaflets. That's it. There is no screen protector, pre-applied or otherwise, no case and no power adaptor. The A52 5G as well as the A52s 5G at least had a 15W Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge unit in their boxes, and the latter even shipped with a 25W charger in some markets.

While a bit arrogant on the surface, the assumption that most users will have a charger already is also admittedly quite fair. Then again, assuming users will have a decent Power Delivery charger is a bit much. Plus, Samsung is technically using a bit of fancy PPS in its chargers at the moment, so ultimately, that and the included Type-C to Type-C cable are a not-so-subtle "nudge" to go out and buy the Samsung 25W TA-800 PD charger, which is a good $25 (MSRP) extra.